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Show ™ SUMMER UTAH CHRONICLE 0OPINION www.daiiyutahchronicle.com Monday, J u n e 20, 2005 U lucked out getting Hasnain for president Editor: I thought the last ASUU elections were mildly interesting, but just another election with two candidates on their best behavior, trying to add that extra spark to their resumes. To be honest, I voted for Ali Hasnain because he said he voted for Kerry in the presidential election. Every ASUU election seems to follow the same path: Candidates act great and promise a lot. After they win, we get to see who they really are. But my opinion has changed because I am so impressed with our new student-body president. We have never met, but every time I've seen him he smiles and says, "Hi." Much more important, he is really a good person—not just a good politician. I have repeatedly seen him stop what he's doing in order to talk to the people whom most of us walk right by: people with disabilities. About a week ago I saw him escorting a blind woman around campus by the arm. He wasn't just impatiently leading her—he was talking to her, looking at her and listening to her. The U is very lucky to have such an amazing person as our student-body president. Jessica Zimmer Senior, Political Science -;:v^THE CHRONICLE'S Online Poll What would Mr. Rogers do? Which Hollywood coupl e \s the most appalling? Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes i •• j 29% 5 votes mmmm 29% 6 votes Paris Hilton F-'\ 5% and Paris Latsis L...^i 1 vote Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher H H R 10% I 2 votes • Driiney jpears and. ..that one g u y . . . " 29% 6 votes To^vote: www.dailyutahchronicle.com s part of a series of sweeping cuts, last week a House Appropriations Subcommittee lopped off a quarter of Public Broadcasting System's and National Public Radio's projected budget, from $400 million to a mere $300 million. The government assures the public that in future years, the plan will recoup lost funding. These cuts swing wildly at the jugular of the arts in America. Excising 25 percent of a nonprofit organization's budget is tantamount to removing an arm. PBS and NPR subsist entirely on handouts from the government and "viewers like you." In a society in which the arts marshal less and less public financial support, these cuts also signal the slow dismantling of public programming. But do we care? Should we care? , <- , : : Caught in a crowd of raucous" arid largely insubstantial television and radio, PBS and NPR stand resolutely as the last bastions of legitimate and unbiased programming. NPR's news programs offer arguably the most dispassionate coverage—not to mention a welcomed reprieve from the spectacle- driven mainstream news. Both PBS and NPR rebroadcast BBC news, an indispensable, paramount alternative perspective to American sensationalism and American news in general. . They provide the unusual "Nova," "Meet The Press" and "Car Talk," among myriad other programs, all of which exist to educate and serve their viewers and listeners. No other stations, except some obscure cable and satellite networks, provide such an array of valuable programming. In a time in which the popular mass media have become less and less of objective observers, and more and more of political tools of persuasion, it's impossible to underestimate the importance of such paragons of free press. Lest the media truly become nothing more than a shadow of their former selves—how can we forget, after all, that the media brought the corruption of the Nixon administration to light— the American public ought to be up in arms about the government's moves against public media's funding. . We owe it to Oscar and the gang to. ; voice our resounding indignation. Why not shave a few millions from our tremendous defense budget? Although such a suggestion waxes impractical, one cannot ignore Washington's apparent vendetta against the t • arts and public services, its favorite , -. scapegoats in times of crisis. With a , * little brain-plumbing, our elected rep- , . resentatives ought to be able to discern •. an alternative to bleeding our country of its independent voice and soul. If PBS and NPR continue to suffer financial amputations, their futures . • , • ring grim, and the public suffers a _•, tremendous disservice. We must re- , . member that we simply cannot enjoy , this programming without public ' ' broadcasting. When PBS and NPR fall, their shows and newscasts won't shift networks. They will simply evanesce. As it stands right now, regardless of justice, public media require public fi- , ; nancial buttressing. PBS and NPR can-;', not walk this one off. Supporters need • to put their money where their mouths ' \ are and have the courage to stand up , against a grave injustice. Do it for Elmo. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Summer Utah Chronicle Editorial Board. Editorial columns and letters to the editor are strictly" the opinions or the author. The forum^reated on the Opinion Page is one based on vigorous debate, while at the same time demanding tolerance and l 'respect. Material defamatory to an individual'or group becaiisetif race, ethnic background, religion, creed, gender, appearance or sexual orientation1 will be. edited or will not be published. ' , •. •__" • • •' _. ; . I pledge allegiance to the flag True patriotism isn't blind obedience—it's social activism A s the Fourth of July approaches, I'm spending a lot of time reflecting on the meaning of the word "patriotism." To me, patriotism doesn't mean love of symbols. To me, patriotism simply means love of country. As the Pledge of Allegiance makes clear, our flag takes its meaning from "the republic for which it stands." Our flag stands for us. Our flag stands for the values enumerated during the founding of this country: liberty and justice for all. Our flag should not stand for shame, injustice, war and hopelessness. During this Fourth of July, we should work toward building a better society, one that more readily exemplifies the ideals for which our country stands. Along with the fireworks and hot dogs, I have a few suggestions of how we can show our patriotism. A USA Today/Gallup poll recently showed that 57 percent of the American public now recognizes that going to war in Iraq wasn't worth the results. If you are among those who recognize the failure of this war, you can join in the anti-war movement. Despite all this political talk of an "exit strategy," we all know that we'll be in Iraq until the American people demand we leave. The American government may be the most powerful political force in the world, but there is one group of people that can stop their domination: you, me and the rest of American society. The student anti-war movement essentially ended the war in Vietnam. If you are a patriot and love your country, your duty is to oppose unilateral and illegal war. Celebrate our forefathers' removal from the oppression of British ty- Jay Richards rants by protesting our current tyrant. After all, it is our tax dollars that are paying for Bush's real-life game of Risk. We have a right and a responsibility to hold him accountable for that. If students wish to keep their protests local, they can show their patriotism by protesting injustices at the state level. During his campaign, Gov. Hunts- man pledged to end Utah's tax on food. It is entirely unjust that foodstuffs are still part of the state sales tax. The food insecurity rate in Utah is one of the highest in the nation. A 2000 tax commission report found that Utah's poorest residents paid a total of $25 million in sales tax on their food purchases. Removing the sales tax on food is an important step toward helping low-income Utahns afford food for their families. To hold Huntsman to his promise, a local anti-poverty organization is organizing a petition drive this summer to remove the tax. To help, visit www.crossroads-uc.org/CORC.htm. These are only a few of the ways that modern-day patriots can help improve society, as the injustices that need correction are innumerable. The important thing to remem- r flag should not stand for shame, injustice, war and hopelessness. ber is that it all starts with what we do today. We can sit back on our recliners and celebrate the birth of our democracy by popping open another . cold one and watching parades—or we can fight to take our country back from those who have hijacked it from us. This country is too important for us to let it be derailed by those who are not worthy of its leadership. Take pride in your country and actually work tofixit. That is real patriotism. letters@chronicle.utah.edu Drowning in congestion Carpool lanes are counterproductive and should be done away with R oad construction has recently extended the carpool lane from Point of the Mountain to Provo. An extra lane of traffic is definitely needed, but to restrict this new lane to cars with only two or more passengers is pointless, wasteful and unsafe. Only vehicles with more than one person are allowed to drive in a carpool lane. The purpose of such a lane is to reward those who carpool and to encourage those who don't carpool to start. The theory is that as more people carpool, we will have fewer cars on the road and less air-pollution. Unfortunately, reality falls short of the grand plans of social engineers. The fact is that people do not often call up their buddies and ask to carpool just so they can drive in the carpool lane. Most people in the carpool lane incidentally qualify to be there— they happen upon a carpool lane, realize they have more than one person in the car, and then scoot on over. The existence of the lane itself has nothing to do with the fact that drivers in it choose to carpool. In fact, most of the vehicles in the carpool lane are usually just cars full of families on road trips. The design of the carpool lane itself is also problematic. The carpool lane is generally located to the far left of the road—the area typically considered the fast lane. Buses, which move slowly, often enter this lane, severely disrupting the flow of traffic. These buses also Ed Stevenson tend to endanger other drivers as they change from the lane farthest to the right, in which they normally drive, to the lane farthest to the left: the privileged carpool lane. The "Carpool Only" on- and off-ramp at 400 South is even more ridiculous. The simple fact that you happen to have a friend in the car with you grants you a desirable exit ramp, whereas single drivers must drive unduly longer distances to get to their desired location. Adding insult to injury, police often sit at this location to ticket solo drivers dishonest enough to sneak on or off the freeway at a location society deems they do not deserve. Most of the time, traffic on I-15 is not that bad and there is no real difference between the carpool lane and other lanes of traffic. When traffic is bad, however, the carpool lane is as much a liability for solo drivers as it is a convenience for carpoolers. rn If the carpool lane is open while there is congestion, in other lanes, . then allowing anyone to drive in the carpool lane should alleviate . congestion. Congestion causes more air pollution. It also increases the risk of accidents. Why do we have carpool lanes if . this is going to be the result? The state is spending money and resources to create ianes that endanger lives and increase pollution—all for the noble goal of making the act of driving more social. . . letters@chronicle.utah.edu 1 he fact is that people do not often call up their * buddies and ask to carpool just so they can drive in the carpool lane. , t• |